The Best Days
by The Pigeon One
Summary: Aang fawns over his newborn son, and wonders at the future. Kataang Oneshot


So I thought I'd take a break from writing Goddaughter and dedicate a Saturday to a Kataang oneshot. The only scruple I have with this is that there are a whole slue of Kataang oneshots out there, and this one is, by far, not going to be the best of them. So, that being said, enjoy, and review if you liked it. Also, they are significantly older in this, probably with Aang at 18 and Katara at 20.

The Best Days –

A Kataang oneshot

Aang was surprised when he'd gotten the news. He and Katara were still young in their marriage, only a month or so in, and Katara was already in the family way.

Of course, Aang was overjoyed. No one could pretend he wasn't excited to bring another little airbender into the world. But he was nervous. He wasn't sure if he would be a good father, and this doubt worried him.

And not only worried about himself, he was worried about Katara. He wasn't concerned about her being a good mother – he knew without question that she would be the best mother anyone could ask for. But he had heard stories about mothers delivering their babies and dying from the exertion.

That was what had him worried. He loved Katara, and he couldn't bear the thought of loosing her just because he couldn't keep himself reined in.

Aang had brought his fears to his wife, who had just laughed at his worried expression.

"Don't worry, Aang," Katara told him, patting her ever extending belly. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

Of course Aang knew Katara was capable of handling herself. He had seen her help other women deliver their babies many times over now. But he knew that if something went critically wrong, then no amount of experience on either the mother's or midwife's part would be able to stop the death of the mother.

And this was what perturbed Aang. Experienced or not, Katara was at risk.

In the end, Aang's worries had come to naught. Katara birthed a perfectly healthy, wide eyed baby boy. He was a pudgy thing, but his eyes were alert like babies' typically weren't. He was a quiet, peaceful baby. He didn't cry often, and he was never whiny, which was different from Aang's experiences with babies.

They named him Tenzin, meaning upholder of teachings. It had been Katara's idea that they give him such a symbolic name, and Aang had liked the idea so much that he all but squashed Katara in his excitement. He felt like such a name was fitting of the first airbender to be born in over a hundred years. Aang could no longer be called the last airbender, a fact he was residually proud of. He not only had a son, now, but he had begun to restore his people.

Aang could just imagine it now. He could see the Southern Air Temple overrun with his children and grandchildren, airbenders all, and it brought a smile to his face.

He couldn't wait until Tenzin was old enough to start airbending lessons. Aang was sure that Tenzin was going to be a prodigy, just like his father, a master before he had even turned twelve.

Katara only laughed when Aang told her this, her white teeth contrasting against her coffee colored skin as she nursed her son.

"Do you really think that's a reasonable expectation, honey?" she asked, repositioning Tenzin's small head so that he was more comfortable. "I mean, yeah, you're going to be teaching him, and he's obviously going to be a great airbender, but it's a little ambitious to think the baby's going to be as good as you are."

Aang just smiled. "Well, we'll see. He's our son. He's going to be a talented kid."

That night when Aang put his son down to bed, he stroked the thing veil of hair that covered his head and plucked the small airbender's thumb out of his mouth. Tenzin's arm dangled over his father's and his heavy head rested in the crook of Aang's elbow.

Tears came to Aang's eyes at the sight of his two day old son sleeping peacefully in his arms. Since Tenzin's birth, Aang had not been able to hold him very often due to Katara's over-attentiveness. Personally, Aang didn't understand why Katara felt that she had to have Tenzin in her arms almost every second of every day, especially since he greatly sapped her energy and she knew Aang could take care of children.

He had felt right at home when they had visited Sokka and Suki and their newborn baby girl, Lin. She was exactly what Aang had imagined Suki had looked like as a child with Sokka's big, blue eyes and, even as a baby, a sarcastic expression. Aang imagined that she would grow up to be very much like her father with her mother's prowess.

When Suki handed Lin to Aang to hold that day, he took her into his toned arms and she looked at him and instantly started crying. Aang panicked, but Suki and Katara were on the other side of the room, so deep in conversation that they did not seem to notice – or ignored - the baby's cries. Aang turned to Sokka, who simply shook his head, telling Aang that he had already dealt with his daughter's screams too many times that day.

Sheepishly, Aang had cooed at the small but loud child, making noises and rocking her back and forth to soothe her. She was then quick to calm down, giggling and pulling on her uncle's tunic.

Aang smiled and sat down on the floor, laying the baby on her back and playing games with her.

Sokka had looked amazed that his brother – in – law had quieted Lin so quickly, which he noted to Aang.

Aang just shrugged. "I guess kids just like me." He said cheerfully, tickling Lin's pudgy belly with his index finger, causing baby to laugh joyously.

Of course, Lin had been several months old by the time Aang and Katara had gone to see her. She had been much older than Tenzin, and Aang thought that this might have had something to do with Katara's possessiveness of their son. To be honest, he had been very surprised when his wife hadn't immediately taken custody of her niece upon entering her brother's house. It was her instinct to be motherly, and the fact that she had acted so towards her own kin shocked Aang more than he was willing to admit.

Though, he thought, Katara could have already known she was pregnant by then. After all, she had dropped the news on Aang almost as soon as they had gotten back to the temple. So, he rationalized, Katara had been too excited to tell her sister – in – law that she was with child. She had put her love of other people's children aside in order to gossip about pregnancy with Suki.

Tenzin stirred in Aang's arms, bringing him back to the present. Smiling, he put his young son in his crib and walked back to his bed on the other side of the room where Katara already sat, sheets wrapped around her torso. She had been watching her husband and son the whole time, and a smile of pride stretched across her lips.

"I love you so much, Aang." Katara said as the airbender sat down on the bed next to her and slid under the sheets.

Aang smiled and leaned over to kiss his wife on the cheek. "I love you, too, Katara. You're the love of my life and I can't imagine anyone else as my wife and the mother of my child."

Katara chuckled. "He's a looker, huh?"

Aang nodded, a huge smile on his face. "He's adorable."

Katara took her husband's hand a lace her fingers with his, placing them between the two of them. "He looks just like you, you know."

He laughed. "He looks like both of us. Besides, he's only two days old. Don't you think that it's a little early to decide who he looks like?"

Katara laughed, drawing the covers further up her body. "You're probably right. But I think he has your eyes, no matter what."

"Eh," Aang disagreed. "I think they look like both of ours. I mean, the color is defiantly a mix of yours and mine, but the shape is more yours than mine."

The conversation ended when Katara yawned loudly and squeezed Aang's hand. She was tired from taking care of the baby, and she was ready for the reprieve of sleep.

"Goodnight, Katara," Aang whispered as he sent of a gust of air towards the lantern to blow it out. "Sweet dreams."

XXX

Aang inhaled sharply as he looked up at his two year old son stuck up in the rafters. Being an airbender, he understood that, as a baby, Tenzin wouldn't be able to control his airbending, but Aang had been terrified to say the least when Tenzin sneezed and had all but leapt out of his father's arms and up towards the ceiling.

For his part, Aang was just glad that Tenzin hadn't hurt himself and Katara had seen the child's display of his ability.

Of course, Katara wouldn't have been able to do much about it anyway, Aang thought.

Katara was pregnant again with their second child, and was constantly confined to her room due to her horrible morning sickness.

Aang could only smile as he retrieved Tenzin from the rafters and the excited boy clapped his fat hands.

"Yeah, you can be excited now, you goose monkey," Aang chastised, "but if your mother sees you do that, she's going to have a tiger cow."

Tenzin's only response was to clap again and tug on his father's tunic. Aang smiled at the once calm child's antics. Tenzin had become a hyper handful, and although Katara thought he was just in his terrible twos, Aang was sure that the child was just dispositioned that way. And he loved it, loved being a father, no matter how hard Tenzin was to handle. He was excited for his next child, and happy that Tenzin would have a sibling to play with.

"Come on, little trouble maker," Aang said, hiking the toddler further up his hip. "Let's go see your mother."

END

So, all in all, I am pleased with this. I was really excited that I managed to fit the in the family way saying in there because it's one of my favorite ways to say a woman is preggers.

Also, when Lin starts crying, Suki tells Katara not to worry about it. I couldn't figure out a way to work that in there. Aang's theory is [artly right, but it makes more sense that Suki told her sister – in – law not to worry because Aang's got it taken care of.

So review if you liked it! And if you were a fan of this, you should go read my other ATLA fic Goddaughter. It's Zuko centric, you could say, so go read it!


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